'97 Taurus GL Wagon 200.145k: CMP, Synchro, and Throttle Body

[Colt Hero]

'97 Taurus GL Wagon 3.0L 200.145k: CMP, Synchro, and Throttle Body

OK - I finally found some time this past weekend to actually start DOING something about some of the problems with my Taurus - but I didn't get very far. Started with the Camshaft Synchronizer. I know it's bad; it's been sqeaking off and on (mostly off) for a couple of years now. To reach it, I pulled the throttle body and discovered plenty of oily film on the backside of the "butterfly" section. Plus there's plenty more inside the rest of the body (on the engine side) where the passages are.

How do I clean this out? Do I just spray the heck out of it with throttle body or carb cleaner, and if so - does it matter where all the runoff goes? Will I need to use a brush of some kind? And does it matter if the oil runoff drips down into those passages, or do I have to pull EVERYTHING off so that the runoff drains OUT? Also, there's a sticker on the removed piece of the TB that says NOT to clean it (implying that the metal surfaces could be damaged??). Is this just a warning to make sure you use the RIGHT cleaner??

With the synchronizer, I got stopped by the dreaded 5.5mm bolt head on the sensor. I didn't have this socket size and I was afraid the 7/32 might've stripped the bolt head. I finally found one in a cheap Chinese set at Advanced for $6.00 (40 pc set of tiny sockets). Normally I would buy Craftsman because my experience with the Chinese sockets years ago was that they'd tear or crack at the slightest bit or resistance, but I needed something quick and figured these (ToolWorkx???) would be good enough in this case. But then I got 'interrupted' and so we won't see how good they are until this weekend. Right now I've got the top of the synchro exposed with the (lower half of the) stupid plastic cable tray forced out of the way toward the firewall with a wood block. Hope those 14-year old, dried out wires in that cable tray don't crack on me...

After the synchro it'll be the vacuum leak problem. Are those (what look like) red-colored 'cables' with the loose corrugated plastic sleeves actually vacuum lines? Is this (part of) where I need to check for leaks? And the PCV valve - is that the thing that simply sits in the hole of the firewall-side valve cover at it's very corner (passenger-side)? If I pull on this hose it easily pops out and has a small, black, thimble-like attachment hanging off the end. Around the hole is a black rubber ring? Seems like this thing doesn't always seat real well. Is that an indication that it needs to be replaced. It IS an original part.